Derek Jeter's first locker mate in 2020: "I remember a picture of Mariah Carey, and him singing, ‘I’ll Be There,’ with his headphones on" 

In January 2020, Chris Heaps, Derek Jeter's first locker mate during his rookie years with the New York Yankees, recalled HOFer's soft spot for pop icon Mariah Carey in an NJ.com interview.

It had been 23 years, but Chris still remembered the minute details about Jeter's crush on pop sensation Mariah Carey.

Heaps mentioned how Derek had a picture of Mariah, and he often hummed to one of her 1994 hits, "I'll Be There," with his headphones on.

"I remember a picture of Mariah Carey, and him singing, ‘I’ll Be There,’ with his headphones on. Not a great singer, but we laughed and liked it.”

Chris Heaps also added how rookie Derek wished to marry Mariah one day.

“We were side by side and, I'll never forget, he had that picture of Mariah Carey, and I think he said, 'One day, I'm going to marry her.' That was, you know, a teenage thing to say."

"Yankees’ Derek Jeter’s 1st locker mate shares stories from start of Hall of Fame path, from singing Mariah Carey to early doubts." - NJ.com

Further, Derek's first locker mate later went on to confirm whether Derek and Mariah got involved in an affair.

"I think they dated, didn't they?”

Indeed, Derek Jeter and Mariah Carey's short-lived affair was a piece of sensational news back in the late 1990s. They encountered each other at a dinner party in 1997 and started dating.

Also, two decades later, Mariah attributed Derek as the impetus for her divorce from her abusive marriage to ex-husband Tommy Mottola, the former Chairman, and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment.

In an interview with Oprah on "The Oprah Conversation," where Mariah came to promote her memoir, "The Meaning of Mariah Carey," the 50-year-old singer talked about the Jeter-Mottola angle for the first time.

Speaking about Derek Jeter, Mariah said:

"He was a catalyst that helped me get out of that relationship because I believed that there was somebody else."

"I couldn't have asked for a better way to introduce my memoir than having a conversation with my friend, therapist and icon Ms. Oprah Winfrey." - Mariah Carey

Although Derek and Mariah's whirlwind romance lasted from 1997 to 1998, it was a stepping stone for Carey to come out of her abusive marriage.

New York Yankees star Derek Jeter spoke about what it was like to date his crush Mariah Carey

Derek Jeter Ceremony

A year after splitting from Mariah Carey, Derek Jeter discussed the difficulties of dating a star like Carey in a 1999 Sports Illustrated interview.

Derek said:

"I have to be with someone very understanding, someone who's willing to deal with all the attention. But going out with Mariah that's taking it to a whole other level."

Jeter also mentioned how he felt he was way out of Carey's league.

"She's someone who's known worldwide. I don't see how two very famous people—and I'm nowhere close to her level—would be able to deal with that over the long haul. It's too much."

Ever since many years have passed, Derek went on to date other leading ladies like Jessica Alba, Minka Kelly, and several others.

However, Jeter is married to Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue model Hannah Davis. The pair tied the knot in July 2016 and have since welcomed three daughters, Bella, 4, Story, 3, and River, 11 months.